Page 5 of Beanful Wishes

“I’m not surprised.” He grins and my heartbeat ratchets up another notch. “Spiced vanilla latte?”

“Make it Lofty,” I say, secretly pleased.

“Coming right up. Anything else for you this morning?” he asks as I hand him my credit card.

I glance across the pastries on display. “I’ll take one of those cinnamon rolls, please.”

“Good choice.” His eyes sparkle, drawing me in. They are a deeper blue than I remember, with tiny flecks of gold reflecting the light from the ceiling fixture above. It reminds me a little of my favorite van Gogh painting.

Our fingers touch when he hands me the sticky pastry on a plate. My heart skips a beat and I bite my lip to keep from saying something I’ll regret immediately. “Thanks,” I mumble instead and turn to head to the table I sat at yesterday.

Unfortunately, it’s occupied by a couple who look only a few sips into a lengthy coffee date. At least I hope so for his sake. He looks smitten with the petite blonde across from him.

“There’s an open seat over here.”

I follow the barista’s outstretched hand to the bar beside the counter and the open stool. “Thanks. I’m Sophia, by the way.”

He returns my card. “I’m Jake.”

“Nice to meet you, Jake.”

“Likewise.” His head turns when a group of women enters the shop. “Grab a seat. I’ll bring your Lofty Latte out as soon as it’s ready.”

I place the plate that holds my cinnamon roll on the counter and hop onto the tall barstool he’d pointed out. My computer bag is securely stashed below my feet, and I look around. It’s not a bad spot. From my current vantage point, I can see most of the coffee shop, including a full view of the Wishing Wall that grabbed my attention during my previous visit.

I’m full of questions by the time he shows up with my drink. “Mind if I ask you some questions about this?” I point to the wall.

“Not at all. Fire away.” He leans against the counter.

“This was your idea?”

He nods. “I’ve been toying around with it for a while. When I moved here and saw that blank space on the back wall, I thought the time was right.”

“Can you tell me more about how you came up with it?” I reach down for my bag and dig around for a pen and notebook.

“Why?” Jake asks, his eyes narrowing when I get ready to take notes.

“I work for WILM. We’d love to do a story about your wall.”

Jake pushes himself off, and the friendly smile is gone in a flash. “I don’t think so.”

I close my notebook and follow him to the counter. “Why not? It’s a great idea.”

He shakes his head and looks around, undoubtedly hoping for a customer to walk up with a complicated coffee order.

Lucky for me, the morning rush is over and only a few patrons remain inside Coffee Loft. I hold up my hands. “I’m not looking for anything sensational. This will be a human interest piece, showing the good work you’re doing here,” I say. “For the local community.”

His features soften ever so slightly. “I don’t know.”

“It would be good for business,” I add, giving him my most winning smile.

“What’s good for business?” a man dressed in a button-down shirt and khaki pants asks, walking out of a small office in the back.

“A feature about Jake’s Wishing Wall at WILM,” I say, holding out my hand at the man I’m guessing is either the owner or manager of this establishment. “Sophia Martinez.”

He takes it and shakes it. “Matthew Dolton.”

Matthew loves it when I run through the basics of my idea. He got a call from my boss yesterday and is completely on board. Jake stays quiet, his lips pressed tightly together.

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